One Mapleton resident has asked council to consider making some of its puppy mill bylaws harsher.
Donna Power, co-founder and president of Stop the Mills or the Humane Initiative, presented to Mapleton council on Tuesday regarding a commitment to review kennel bylaws to align with CVMA code of practice for Canadian Kennel Operations, and enforcement of fines.
According to Power, city councils often falsely believe that the provincial animal welfare legislation (the PAWS Act) will provide the required safety net, so their kennel bylaws are weak.
She also claimed that while council routinely approves kennel applications from individuals that demonstrate very little knowledge about dog breeding, they also approve with no dog retirement plans in place.
“Consumers are unknowingly buying from breeders and brokers that operate in an environment of no traceability, no accountability, and very minimal oversight or enforcement,” said Power.
Coun. Martin Tamlyn wanted to know how many kennels are in Mapleton. He also asked how Power and other volunteers differentiate between a puppy mill and a legal breeder.
Coun. Micheal Martin asked what the city could do outside of a PR campaign to prevent residents from purchasing puppy mill dogs.
“The reason why (residents) are going to a puppy mill is they don’t want to wait (a long time) with a breeder, or a rescuer won’t adopt to them,” said Power. “They usually don’t have any other choice but to go down these avenues and this is where the (puppy mills') manipulation comes in.”
She also maintained that even pre-COVID levels of puppy mill-related issues were still too difficult for animal advocates to manage.
“COVID-19 was the perfect storm…what we’re seeing right now is a lot of puppy mills took in extra breeder dogs because demand was so high,” said Power. “The amount of dumped dogs we’re seeing now is unbelievable … cars are just opening their doors and throwing out whole litters.”
Martin later agreed with Power’s suggestion to enforce micro-chipping but questioned the effectiveness of increasing the cost to adopt when that is often what entices residents towards puppy mills.
“Micro-chipping seems reasonable from a traceability standpoint (but) if we’re looking at compliance issues already…I’m assuming micro-chipping costs money, would increasing costs not be a deterrent?” said Martin. “I would understand that the whole reason that these people are running the way they are is because it’s cheaper for them.”
However, Power says having another point of contact makes it easier to find illegal breeders.
“A lot of the time we find (puppy mills) micro-chip (the dogs) but they don’t register them (with the municipality) so there’s no traceability,” said Powers. “That’s where bylaw comes in.”
Coun. Marlene Ottens also had questions related to the feasibility of Power's suggestions.
“I guess the problem is we could add all these things to our bylaws and that would be great but it’s the compliance issue again,” said Ottens. “We don’t have full-time staffing- and it seems like a full-time job- to go out and inspect these kennels.”
In response, Power encouraged council to increase fines.
“They have to understand there is a consequence,” said Power. “The opportunity is definitely there to increase your fines…they’re gonna learn pretty darn quick if they’re being fined $365.”
Mayor Gregg Davidson agreed with Power's strategy, likening it to automated speed enforcement.
“Studies show how the speed decreases in that area and surrounding areas as well because people don’t want to get that fine,” said Davidson. “It’s very similar: once you start enforcing it, people start to comply.”
